Automatic car-coupling.



- No. 635,757. Patented on. 3|, I899. c. E. c. EDEY. AUTOMATIC CAR COUPLING. (Application filed Kay 22, 1899.) (No Model.)

THE NORRIS FETERS cu, PHoro-umm WASHINGTON n, c.

UNHED STATES CHARLES E. C. EDEY, OF TACOMA, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ADAM KEUSINK, OF SAME PLACE.

AUTOMATIC CAR-COUPLING.

sPEcIFI'oATIoIv forming part of Letters Patent No. 635,757, dated October 31, 1899.

Application filed May 22, 1899. Serial No. 717,832. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it Netty concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. O. EDEY, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Tacoma, in the county of Pierce and State of \Vashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Car-Couplers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to automatic carcouplers, particularly to that class known as the Janney type; and the object of the invention is to provide an improved form of pin-operating mechanism which is capable of automatically throwing the knuckle outward when the pin is raised to unlock said knuckle, and which pin when the knuckle is forced in will automatically trip the pin and cause it to fall in front of the rear or tail end of the knuckle and hold the same in a locked position.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a horizontal section through my improved coupler, showing the same in a locked position. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through the same on the line :20 a in Fig. 1 and looking at the pin from one side. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section through the coupler on the line 3/ y in Fig. 1, looking at the pin from the opposite side to that in which it is seen in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the pin; and Fig. 5 is a horizontal section through a portionof the coupler, showing the same in an open or unlocked position. I

A in the drawings represents the drawhead, which is of the ordinary and approved type.

13 represents a movable knuckle; B, a fixed orrigidjaw; O,aloeking-pin, andD the throwing-out lever.

The movable knuckle Bis pivoted on a rigid extension I) of the coupler-head by means of a pin 12. The rear end of the said movable knuckle B is provided Wllillt recess b which is engaged by the outer end of the throwingout lever D, which latter isprovided with a head at this end to insure the engagement of the lever with the said recess 12 The throwing-out lever is pivoted at its rear end to the bottom of the head of the coupler, as at b and the said rear end of the throwing-out lever is formed with an extension N, which partially surrounds thelockiugpin C, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 5. The head of the coupler is formed at its bottom with a concavity or'recess b in which the throwing-out lever D operates. The walls I) b of the concavity protect the throwing-out lever against accidental breakage, the wall If limiting the lever in the throwing-out movement and the wall 19 being high enough to limit the movement of the knuckle when it is forced back into a locking position.

The locking-pin C is of peculiar construction, the same being clearly shown in Fig. 4. This pin operates vertically through a passage b provided in the bottom of the head. The pin is provided with a head c, which lat- 7O ter is beveled on one of its front corners, as at c, and is also formed with a shoulder a and another shoulder 0 which latter shoulder when the pin is in a raised position and the movable knuckle B is thrown out rests on top of the throwing-out lever D in such aposition that it will cease to form a support for the pin C, and consequently said pin will drop to a lowered position, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The front portion of the lockingpin 0, below the head a, is cut away, as at 0 which cut-away portion allows the rear end of the movable knuckle to pass under the head and behind the pin into the locking position, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. By providing the shoulder or projection c on. the locking-pin the pin is adapted to be held up while the movable knuckle B is in an open position, as shown in Fig. 5, so that when the knuckle is forced inwardly it does not have 0 to strike the pin or raise the same in order to allow the said knuckle to return to a position back of the locking-pin, as is the case with some forms of-automatic car-couplers of this type. I regard this as an important feature of my invention. Should the locking-pin C be accidentally lowered while the knuckleB was thrown out-that .is, in an open positionI provide a means whereby the said pin may be automatically raised. This is ac- Ioo complished by beveling the locking-pin, as

at c, which provision permits the rear or tail end of the movable knuckle to pass under the head and raise the same and move to a position in rear of the pin. I always prefer to provide the locking-pin with the shoulder or projection 0 for the reason, as stated above, that the pin is always held in a raised position and the rear end of the movable knuckle can pass to a locking position without striking the pin and the pin be automatically dropped during such movement. The shoulder or projection c on the locking-pin O rests on top of the throwingout lever D when the pin is in a lowered position and the movable knuckle B locked, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The locking-pin C is formed at its lower end with a head or enlarged body portion 0 and with a beveled portion 0, and the throwing-out lever, when the movable knuckle B is in a locked position, extends across the slot h in which the locking-pin works, so that there is not suliicient room for the head or enlarged body portion 0 of the pin 0 to pass upwardly freely without being struck by the beveled portion a, and consequently the throwing-out lever, which is pivoted at its rear end in the bottom of the coupler-head and at its outer end engages the slots 1) in the movable knuckle, is moved to one side, which throws the movable knuckle open, as illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawings. The pin is prevented from being drawn out entirely from the head by any suitable means, and when the upward pull on the pin is removed it will drop until the shoulder 0 engages the throwingout lever, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, in which position it will rest until the movable knuckle B is forced inwardly, by which movement the throwingout lever D, connected therewith, is moved from the position shown in Fig. 5 to the position shown in Fig. 1, during which movement the said lever is moved to such a position that it ceases to form a further support for the pin, and the pin consequently drops into the position shown in Fig. 2 in front of the rear end of the movable knuckle B.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that I have produced a carcoupler which is very simple and yet perfect in its construc-' tion and operation and which employs very few parts to accomplish the desired results and that there are no springs and there is little liability of the parts becoming broken, and if repairs are necessary the same can be readily accomplished.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An automatic car-coupler comprisingin its construction a head having a rigid jaw and a movable knuckle, a throwing-out lever pivoted to the head and engaging the movable knuckle at its other end, a vertically-moving pin which operates through a passage in the head, said pin being formed with upper and lower heads and a centrally-beveled portion and a shoulder or projection, which latter rests on top of the throwing-out lever when the movable knuckle is in an open position and is held in a raised position while the movable knuckle is in such position, the construction and operation being such that when the movable knuckle is forced inwardly it will release the pin and allow it to drop without striking the same, substantially as described.

2. An automatic car-coupler comprising in its construction a head having a rigid jaw and a movable knuckle, a throwing-out lever pivoted to the head at one end and engaging the movable knuckle at its other, a verticallymoving pin which operates through a passage in the head, said pin being formed with an upper and a lower head a centrally-beveled portion, and a shoulder or projection which latter rests on top of the throwing-out lever when the movable knuckle is in an open position and is held in a raised position while the movable knuckle is in such position, and another lug or projection formed on said locking-pin which rests upon the throwing-out lever when the movable knuckle is in a locked position, substantially as described.

3. An automatic car-coupler comprising in its construction a head havinga rigid jaw and a movable knuckle, a throwing-out lever pivoted to the head at one end and engaging the movable knuckle at its other .end, said throwingout lever operating in a concavity depressed below the surface of the remainder of the bottom of the head, one of the walls of which concavity limiting the inward movement of the throwing-out lever and the other wall extended upwardly to limit the inward movement of the movable knuckle, a vertically-moving pin which operates through a passage in the head which is so constructed and arranged that when it is drawn upwardly it will throw the movable knuckle out, and which, when the movable knuckle is forced inwardly will be permitted to pass by said pin and be locked thereby, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES E. G. EDEY.

lVitnesses:

FRANK J. MILLER, ADAM KEUsINK. 

